


By Your Side

by reen212000



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Exhaustion, Gen, Moonbin knows best, Sleepovers, improper use of honorifics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:20:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22515370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reen212000/pseuds/reen212000
Summary: Moonbin was enjoying a few hours of quiet when he finds an exhausted, half-starved apparition in the form of Lee Dongmin standing in the middle of the living room.
Kudos: 23





	By Your Side

**Author's Note:**

> Committed bandfic again. I find it to be strangely easy, given that these adorable Kpop stars have cameras on them 24/7. It's unfortunate that they have so little privacy, but I understand their wish to let the fans in on their every day lives. I'm also fresh from seeing SuperM in concert. It was my first Kpop concert, and I admit to being overwhelmed by the fans. Utterly fascinating. Honestly, I'm more of an observer than a participant. Now I'm ready for Monsta X!

Moonbin lay back on his bed, relishing the peace and quiet. This almost never happened. His schedule always overlapped the others’ busy schedules. Except for today. Stretching from his fingertips to his toes, he smiled. “Two hours… What will I do?”

Turning on his side, Moonbin reached for his phone, humming the words to ‘All Night’. “Hmm. Should I do a quick VLive? Post a picture?” Scrolling through apps, he sighed, closing his eyes.

Sleep.

Yes, sleep would be amazing.

oOoOoOo

The sound of the front door opening and closing woke Moonbin from a sound sleep. Checking the time, he found his impromptu nap lasted forty-five minutes. Indulging in a euphoric stretch, the resident puppycat listened for further evidence that someone was home earlier than planned.

With a sigh, Moonbin rose, allowing one more stretch and a yawn before leaving his room. Shuffling down the short hall, he saw a tall figure swaying in the middle of the room.

“Dongmin-ah?” No response. “Ya! Lee Dongmin!”

The person in question startled, spinning around. “You scared me!” Thin, pale fingers clutched at his chest as he tried to breathe normally again.

Moonbin raised his hands apologetically, moving closer. “You’re not supposed to be home today. Why–” Now it was his turn to be startled. “Face Genius” Cha Eunwoo looked nothing like the handsome pillar of calm who left three weeks ago. This person looked more like a ghost in the dim light from the setting sun.

Sidling over to the nearest light switch, Moonbin kept an eye on his former roommate. The harsh overhead light came on, causing Dongmin to flinch, immediately covering his eyes. “Bin-ah!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Moonbin said, shutting off the light. “I didn’t expect anyone to be home – Why are you home? Your shoot didn’t end until Sunday.”

Dongmin collapsed onto the nearest couch, still shielding his eyes. He sighed in relief when there was less light. “Thanks.”

Unsure what to do, Moonbin shrugged, lowering himself gently next to his ailing friend. “Are you all right? Did you eat?”

Shaking his head with a wince, Dongmin sighed again, closing his eyes. “I’m okay. Just really tired. We sped up production; the weather was beginning to turn. Finished a couple days ahead of schedule, so I’m not complaining. I really wanted to come home and sleep in my own bed. Besides, I kinda missed you. Well, everyone. I missed everyone this time. Not sure why, but I suddenly got homesick… I really wanted to come home, Binnie.”

Blinking at the unexpected onslaught of quiet and sad words, Moonbin suddenly had no idea what to do. He scooted closer and placed a hand on Dongmin’s forehead, pushing back overly long fringe. Tsking, he pulled his hand away. “Min-ah, you’re a bit warm. And you look exhausted.” Frowning, he evaluated the pale, gaunt face. “Actually, you look worse than five minutes ago.”

Dongmin opened his eyes to barely slits, trying unsuccessfully to glare. “I’ll be fine.”

“Aish! Of course you will. Appa is here.” Pulling a pliant and quiet Dongmin off the couch, Moonbin steered his charge toward the bathroom. “Wash up first; I’ll warm up some leftovers.” When Dongmin paled further, Moonbin raised his hands. “No food, then. Bedtime for you.”

Nodding, Dongmin stumbled into the bathroom whispering his thanks. When the door closed, Moonbin wondered if he should keep watch, however, soon after, the shower came on, prompting a different course of action. He returned to the living room, retrieved the abandoned suitcase, then searched Dongmin’s room for the most comfortable items to sleep in. With a tiny shout of triumph, Moonbin bundled up the set of soft flannel pajamas and placed them just inside the door.

Next, he moved to the kitchen, gathering a glass of water, and ibuprofen. He returned to Dongmin’s room and got to work. Ten minutes later, the pillows were fluffed, the bed turned down, and ready to receive its exhausted occupant.

The shower turned off, and a few minutes later, Lee Dongmin emerged looking more or less like a drowned kitten. With a smile, he glanced at Moonbin, who stood awkwardly in the corner of the small room. “I feel a little better. Thank you for your help.”

“No problem.” Tsking again, Moonbin pointed to the desk chair. “Why didn’t you dry your hair properly, Lee Dongmin? Sit.”

Rolling his eyes, Dongmin obeyed, flopping into the chair with a fatigued sigh; he closed his eyes as Moonbin gently patted his hair with a towel, mindful of the impending headache. Without the makeup, Moonbin could easily see the bruised delicate skin under Dongmin’s eyes and the hollowed cheeks. Plugging in the hair dryer, Moonbin completed his task. No one was getting sick on his watch!

Now with dry, fluffy hair, Dongmin opened sleepy eyes. “Thanks,” he said quietly.

“Bed. Now,” Moonbin sternly said, pointing to the prepared bed. With a smile, he tucked in his friend, placing an extra blanket over the prone body. He watched Dongmin until the pinched expression slowly smoothed away, and breaths became longer and deeper.

Moonbin left the small lamp on in case the other man woke later, and medicine with the glass of water. “Should’ve made him take it before he went to sleep,” he whispered to himself. Leaving his charge to sleep, Moonbin shut the door with a relieved smile.

oOoOoOo 

Flipping the page of a book he had borrowed from Dongmin’s shelves, Moonbin smiled at his accomplishment: finally finishing a whole chapter. Upon beginning the next chapter, he heard a faint knock at the door. Checking the time, he knew the others would be back soon. Rising, he went to the door. “Park Jinwoo, why are you–”

Lee Dongmin stood on the other side of the door, swaying on his feet. Pillow in hand and eyes half-closed, he pushed past Moonbin heading straight for the bed. Burrowing under the warm covers with a smile, he was asleep again.

“Wha?” Scratching his head, Moonbin shrugged, deciding to retrieve his phone and book to let his friend sleep. He hoped Jinwoo wouldn’t mind a new roommate for the night. Reaching to grab his charger, Moonbin suddenly found his hand restricted; Dongmin had latched onto his wrist and wouldn’t let go. “Dongmin-ah? What’s wrong?”

“Warm,” was his only answer.

With a fond smile, Moonbin stepped out of his slippers and climbed back into bed. It had been ages since they’d shared a bed, and if he were honest with himself, Moonbin missed it. He wasn’t tired; it was a bit early to sleep. However, if it helped his friend, Moonbin allowed himself to be maneuvered on the bed until Dongmin let out another sigh.

Smoothing a hand over Dongmin’s head, Moonbin was happy that the fever seemed to have lowered. _Maybe he took his medicine? I wonder what happened. Is he going to sleep through the night?_

“You’re thinking too hard, Binnie,” Dongmin mumbled.

“Sorry, sorry,” he whispered in response. Placing the book on his lap, Moonbin glanced at his phone. He shot Park Jinwoo a text, the resumed reading his book.

oOoOoOo

Twenty minutes later, Moonbin heard the door open again. For the first time – ever – he saw Myungjun before hearing him. MJ stopped at the threshold with a dramatic gasp, pointing at Moonbin’s bedmate.

“What’s he doing here?” Myungjun asked in a careful stage whisper.

Jinwoo, Minhyuk, and Sanha soon appeared behind Myungjun, faces a mixture of concern and happiness at the return of their Alarm Clock. 

Moonbin smiled fondly at each member, then tried to extricate himself from Dongmin, who had smashed his face into Moonbin’s side. Finally free, he pulled the covers tight around the sleeping man. Herding the others out, he closed the door.

“As you can see, Dongmin-ah is home a few days early. He’s exhausted and has a slight fever, so we should let him sleep.”

“Agreed,” Jinwoo stated, dropping the bag of food on the table. “Let’s eat and decide what to do about tomorrow.”

Moonbin’s stomach rumbled at the sight of sandwiches. They all sat around the table, sharing bits about their day as they tucked hungrily into their food.

“Hyung?” Sanha inquired quietly. “Why does he look so bad?”

“Yeah, he looks like he hasn’t eaten for weeks –”

“Or slept, for that matter,” Jinjin, as always, finishing MJ’s sentence.

Minhyuk silently sent worried looks toward the closed door.

Shaking his head, Moonbin put down the other half of his sandwich. “I only know they sped up production due to impending weather.”

Cha Eunwoo’s schedule always worried Moonbin; he resolved to keep better watch over his friend.

“At least he’s home now. We can take care of him this time!” MJ exclaimed, ignoring Jinwoo’s hand squeezing his arm.

“Take care of who?”

Five heads swiveled around, catching sight of a very sleepy Lee Dongmin. Sanha was the first to jump from his seat, followed by Myungjun. Both had their arms around Dongmin, who smiled fondly at the three more reserved men still seated at the table.

“Is there one for me?”

“No,” Jinjin teased, a grin lighting his features. “But we’ll share.”

Dongmin was dragged to the table and wedged between Moonbin and Sanha. Myungjun chatted away, placing bite-size pieces of sandwich on a plate, scolding his dongsaeng for not eating properly while he was gone. Before long, there was a variety of mini sandwiches piled on Dongmin’s plate.

After taking a few bites, Dongmin lay his head on Moonbin’s shoulder. In a matter of moments, Moonbin knew his friend would be fast asleep again. “Ya! No sleeping at the table. Let’s get you to bed.”

Dongmin wrapped thin arms around Moonbin’s muscular arm, preventing him from standing. “I’m fine. Finish eating.”

At that, Myungjun’s face lit up; everyone braced for the crazy idea he was about to spout off. Clasping his hands, he stood. “Let’s have a sleepover party!”

With a laugh, Sanha dragged Rocky off to their room. “Jinwoo-hyung, you’re in charge of the movie!” Jinjin saluted with a smile, moving away from the table to find something appropriate.

As Moonbin finished the last bite of his sandwich, Minhyuk and Sanha returned freshly scrubbed and changed, distributing blankets and pillows on the floor. Sanha then coaxed Dongmin into a standing position, wrapping an arm around his waist. “Go get changed, hyung. We’ve got him.”

Moonbin knew that if Dongmin was slightly more awake, he probably would have thrown Sanha over his shoulder and carried him to the couch. He changed quickly and returned to the living room, noticing there was an empty spot next to Dongmin.

“Come on, hyung,” Rocky whispered, pointing to the empty spot. “Sit down. We all know how you two get when the other is sick.”

Groans of commiseration followed as he snuggled into his spot; Dongmin rolled sleepy eyes. “I’m not sick!” Sounds of disbelief flooded the room as Jinwoo started the movie.

Moonbin felt bony fingers curl into the fabric of his sleeve, and a sigh ghosted his neck.

Maybe this was the best idea MJ ever had.

oOoOoOo

The End. Thanks for reading!


End file.
